Charles Quinn Priester...Is a 2019 graduate of Cary-Grove (IL) High School, where he posted an 8-2 record and 1.00 ERA as a senior...Was named the 2018-19 Gatorade Illinois Player-of-the-Year...Was a two-sport athlete in high school; also played wide receiver and defensive back on the high school’s football team that went 14-0 and won a Class 6A state championship in 2018...Was named a 2019 Rawlings Perfect Game pre-season All-American...Was also ranked as the 19th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline in the 2019 draft...Became the first high school player from the state of Illinois to be selected in the first round since Houston’s Mike Foltynewicz n 2010...Was listed by Baseball America as the No. 1 draft prospect in the state of Illinois...Was a Fox Valley All-Conference selection during his senior year of baseball...Signed by Pirates scout Anthony Wycklendt.
2021
Entered season ranked by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the fourth-best prospect in the Pirates system...Was also ranked by Baseball America as the No. 58 prospect in all of baseball and as having the “Best Curveball” in the Pirates minor league system...Spent entire season with Greensboro, where he was named the High-A East League’s Pitcher-of-the-Year...Was named to the High-A East League post-season All-Star team as a right-handed starter...Led the High-A East League in ERA, batting average against, home runs allowed per 9.0 innings (0.74), WHIP (1.24) and winning percentage (.636) while finishing tied for second in games started, third in innings pitched and tied for eighth in wins...Also finished with the lowest Batting Average On Balls In Play (.285) in the High-A East League, ranked third in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (9.03), strikeout percentage (24.1) and Fielding Independent Pitching (4.08) and fifth in walks per 9.0 innings (3.59) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.51) among pitchers with at least 90.0 innings pitched...Ranked second among all Pirates farmhands in ERA with at least 90.0 innings pitched...Allowed a combined nine runs (6er) while losing each of his first two starts before tossing 5.0 scoreless innings and earning his first win with Greensboro on 5/18 at Hickory...Tossed 5.0 scoreless innings for the second straight start while earning the win on 5/25 vs. Wilmington...Recorded a 1.59 ERA (17.0ip/3er) over a four-start stretch from 6/9-29...Faced a total of three batters while working 0.2 scoreless inning of relief at the All-Star Futures Game on 7/11 at Coors Field...Recorded first career double-digit strikeout game (10) on 8/13 at Winston-Salem... Was named the High-A East League’s Pitcher-of-the-Week for the week of 8/23-29 after striking out a career-high 13 batters, including each of the first nine that he faced, in his start on 8/27...Made second straight start of 6.0 scoreless innings and recorded his last win of the regular season on 9/2 vs. Hudson Valley...Allowed one run in 5.0 innings while winning a 4-2 decision in Game Two of the High-A East League Championship Series on 9/24 vs. Bowling Green... Limited opposing hitters to a .213 batting average against (36-for-169) and just one home run allowed with runners on base during the regular season...Ended the season ranked by MLB Pipeline as Pittsburgh’s second-best prospect.
2020
Entered season ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh’s sixth-best prospect...Was a member of the alternate training site roster in Altoona...Was rated by MLB Pipeline as having the “Best Curveball” in the Pirates minor league system at the conclusion of the season.
2019
Was selected by Pittsburgh with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Cary-Grove (IL) High School...Allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his seven starts in 2019 with the GCL Pirates...Made professional debut as a starter on 7/2/19 (2.1ip/3h/1r/1bb/2so) against the Gulf Coast League Braves...Picked up first professional win on 7/29/19 against the GCL Braves after allowing two runs in 5.0 innings of work...Was promoted to the West Virginia Black Bears of the New York-Penn League on 8/22...Allowed three runs (2er) in 4.0 innings in his only start with West Virginia on 8/27/19 at State College.
